


Dust in your hair

by RowanRaven



Series: Unfinished fic amnesty [2]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Unethical Experimentation, it's so much fluffier I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29064273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanRaven/pseuds/RowanRaven
Summary: Space is vast and full of secrets. Herrah's station, the Nest is supposed to be the furthest settlement out, but when a distress signal is received, the worst of the secrets start to bubble through.
Relationships: Herrah the Beast/Midwife (Hollow Knight)
Series: Unfinished fic amnesty [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132331
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Dust in your hair

Deepnest, the welded-together monstrosity of a station orbited the RED-12 dwarf star, as close to the known edge of civilisation as possible. Deep space was an inhospitable wasteland, but it afforded certain freedoms the stations closer to the inner circle lacked.

The weak red light of the star bathed the station in an eternal dawn, colouring its sails a deep pink. Stars twinkled in the distance as the constant slow dance of the planets hid and revealed them in a playful, enormous hide and seek.

Space was a dangerous foe, and a cold home, but with tooth, nail and claw, Herrah had carved it out for herself and all the outcasts that the Pale King couldn’t tie down in his little pretend kingdom.

Three day-cycles ago, the Nest received a distress signal. It was a garbled mess, faint and barely noticeable against the background noise of the distant stars. The radio-techs traced it to Deep space, much further out than the orbit of the Nest.

This was concerning. Herrah knew, after years of leading the station that such a garbled signal was nothing but bad news. Still, they should have had ships pass them by, as the Nest is the only station where they can refuel for probing expeditions further out.

“Midwife!” She called out to the first mate “I want to investigate the signal personally. We have to see if there are any survivors, even if the chances are slim.” Midwife pushed through the throng of crew, all of them crowding in the captain’s deck. This news had set the crew buzzing with theories and gossip, and they all crowded around the radio techs riding their five minutes of fame.

“While you know my opinion very well on such unnecessary trips, I also know how useless it is to argue against it, once you have made up your mind. I will get your jumper ship ready.” Herrah grinned, baring all her fangs. She patted Midwife on her back, and Midwife smiled back, although hers was shadowed with worry.

Midwife had been a childhood companion to her since Herrah was old enough to talk. Midwife came from a distant system, her people valuing land over space travel. She held her arms close to her segmented abdomen, her body a long line of shiny black carapace. Midwife wore her uniform which marked her as the first mate everywhere, the cut of the coat giving her a stern look, although Herrah knew she was all squishy inside.

“Go and say goodbye to your daughter,” Midwife said, her voice sombre “She misses you so, whenever your wanderlust takes you.” Herrah smiled, and clasped her elbow, before leaving to seek out Hornet.

The Nest bustled with life, the thrum of the crew and the heartbeat of the old machines. Herrah weaved through the crowd people, nodding back the greeting of the crewmates.

She hurried to the sleeping quarters, the sleek doors all arranged in near rows. She shared a pod with Hornet, ever since she was born. Room was more expensive than gold in space, and not even the captain herself could afford to waste it.

Hornet was just sitting on the edge of the bed, her suit still unzipped on her back. Two of her arms were inside the sleeves, but the other two were still only halfway in. Her mirrored glasses were off, as she tried to rub the sleepiness out of her main pair of eyes.

She stood out in the Nest, shorter and skinnier than most others, although not even a bit weaker. Herrah was fiercely proud of her, her brave brood. Hornet shared her coloration, a deep, shiny blue carapace, hers speckled with iridescent freckles like stars.

“Mama!” Hornet said as she looked up, surprised. She squinted, even in the low light of the pre-dawn light cycle, before putting her glasses on.

“Good morning, little Nibble” Herrah helped to zip up her suit and fluffed up her cheeks. She could feel the soft baby fuzz on Hornet’s face, and her grin pushing her hands apart. Hornet shook her hands off, before grabbing her around her thorax and clinging on, burrowing her face into Herrah’s side.

Herrah laid her hands on Hornet’s head, rubbing it between her stubby horns.

“You know how this goes little one” She said, as gentle as she could “I will investigate the distress signal, as is my duty as the captain. Midwife will look after you and the station, and I will check in with you twice a day.

“Midwife!” Herrah called out to the first mate “I’m going to investigate the distress signal, immediately.” Midwife rushed over, taking the mic from her. 

“I pass the command to you as long as I’m off-ship. Take care of Hornet, I’ll be bas as soon as I can.” Midwife caught Herrah’s hand, stalling her abrupt departure.

“Say goodbye to her. You know how she gets when you don’t.” Herrah nodded, and squeezed Midwife’s hand. She strode over to her quarter, as the crew rushed past her. Going on a rescue mission seemed to awaken the ship, people hurried around on the walkway.

The Nest was an old, repurposed station. Herrah herself built it from stolen, scrapped and unusable ships. They were now working on the expansion of two living wings, as well as the development of the greenhouse. She was very proud of the self-sufficiency of the Nest. Being able to accommodate a growing population was one of her greatest accomplishments. 

Not a lot of space stations were managed as well as the Nest. They even had trade routes with the City, and the Hive, and the Nest dwellers could afford little luxuries under her governance. The Nest was the only source of spider silk in the outer circles, and theirs were far above the rest.

They were thriving on the edge of the maps, circling an old and stable star. Herrah had become one of the most influential captains under ten years of legal governing, after receiving pardon from the King.

Hornet was anxiously waiting in their room, jumping up when the door opened with a whoosh. 

“Mother!” She dashed over, straight into Herrah’s open arms. Herrah gently smoothed her hair down, pulling her daughter closer. She was lanky, all knees and elbows. Hornet came up to Herrah’s chin, everyday measuring her height. She looked and acted similar to Herrah and Midwife teased them both about it. 

Hornet had a tough time making friends on the ship, both being the daughter of the captain, and being half-blooded alien. It manifested in strange ways. She was born with four arms, and a wild, staticky hair that was so white, almost translucent. As she grew, her eating habits changed too, eating meat and protein almost exclusively. Her teeth reflected this change, all growing to sharp points. 

And Herrah loved her strange daughter more and more every passing day.

“Hornet, daughter dear… I have to leave, Midwife will look after you. I will be back in eight days at the most, and you can always reach me on the radio. Take care of yourself while I’m away.” Hornet squeezed her a little tighter, all four arms wrapping around.

“Stay safe!” She mumbled, before releasing her grip.

Herrah’s jumper ship was always packed, a leftover habit from when fleeing on a moment’s notice was inevitable. Her ship was ready for launch, the chatter over the radios quieting down. Four extra crew members were giving their last goodbyes, slowly filing into the ship, and double checking everything.

Herrah looked back, just for a moment to catch Hornet’s red silhouette against the sea of dark blues. Hornet waved at her, Midwife standing behind her, coordinating the crew securing the launchpad before opening the ship up.

Herrah double checked the coordinates, and the autopilot. 

The ship launched, the mechanism pulling and throwing the sleek ship to its route. The solar sails engaged, and the ship was ETA - 78 hrs to its destination. 

Herrah checked in every six hours with the Nest, over the radio. 

The empty blank space stretched out in front of her, the tiny peephole showing only a sliver of the journey ahead.

Their supplies were secured in the cargo hold, and the fuel cell was loaded into the belly of the ship. Herrah always packed a fuel cell, just in case, but they hopefully would not need it. In case of an emergency, they could speed using the fuel cell, but there was no sense to it by then. The signal would take days to reach the Nest, and so they conserved the fuel.

There were no issues with the route, and after being cooped up for three days, Herrah took over the steering, pulled in the sails, and engaged the engine.

* * *

From behind the tiny blue straggler of a star, wreckage emerged. Herrah’s mouth dried, her grip tensing on the controls. Behind her, a few quiet “Stars help us….” were uttered.

The undesignated space station was utterly ripped to pieces. 

Black tarnished metal swung by, the inner plastic coating of the station exposed. There were no lights flickering, no alarms blaring over their radios. It seemed that the station was chewed up, and spit back out by an enormous force. Herrah passed the ship over to Fazzless, and suited up. 

Her spacesuit was made for long walks, and it included two robotic arms attached to the back. Herrah has survived a lot of crashes in the suit. Over the years it became more common to have robotic attachments, but it still set her apart. Her silhouette made her infamous in her youth, and she still enjoyed the fearful, awed looks of her crew whenever she suited up.

Three of them made the spacewalk over to the wreckage. Herrah could hear everyone’s ragged breathing, the occasional mumbled “fuck…” when a wrecked hibernation pod floated by. 

Careful of the debris, Herrah stepped into the biggest remaining chunk of the station. The walls were lined with orderly hibernation pods, strangely dark from the inside. Their design was sleek with a glass front. It reminded Herrah of the pods where the spiders would spin their silks, under the watchful supervision of the weavers. As if whatever was inside, was on display.

Most of the pods were ripped apart, glass shards spinning idly about. No life signals in any of them. 

Herrah forged ahead, resolutely not looking into the pods. There would be no helping them.

A short scream broke the tense silence. Herrah jerked back, the motion slamming her back to the wall. Orion, a young trainee was shining their flashlight to one of the pods. Herrah pulled them away, still catching a glimpse of a face, distorted in a frozen scream. The eyes of the creature bored into hers, shining back the light of the torch. 

Orion stumbled into her, and she kneeled with them. Their choked gasps and half-swallowed cries echoed in the radio silence. 

“Count with me, cadet.” Herrah said, taking their hands in her own “Count to three, come on. One.”

“One.” They repeated, with a trembling voice, the air rushing.

“Good, good. Take a deep breath. Two.” 

“Two.” Orion started shaking, their hands going slack. 

“Good. You are doing great. Another. Three.”

“Three.” Orion started to cry, silently, and Herrah watched as the tears slipped down on their cheek. So young to face devastation like this.

“Fazzless, Orion and Ailin will be heading back. Copy?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ailin kneeled at Orion’s back, and helped them stand. 

“I will be in constant radio connection. I received life signals from the innermost cabin. I have to check, to be sure, but Orion needs to be back at the ship.”

Orion nodded, and slid their hands from Herrah’s. Herrah, quicker now, made her way to the only room remaining somewhat whole. The door was warped inwards, a narrow gap making it possible for Herrah to squeeze through.

Her breath had stopped when she saw the room. 

Rows and rows of pods, almost all of them damaged. Thrown into the storage space, without even a system of any short. If the ones in the corridor were on display, these were discarded carelessly.

Bodies hung from some of them, mangled by whatever impact devastated the station. Herrah gritted her teeth, avoiding looking at the carnage. There were so many… She turned to leave, unable to bear looking at the ruined room any longer.

Her radar beeped at her.

Some of them were alive, still. 

She started digging, shoving the obviously damaged and broken ones aside. Just one, stars, let there be just one survivor. She didn’t even realise she started crying. The pods were so, so small. Too small for any adult.

Systematically, she made her way down on the stacked rows of the pods. Four. There were four undamaged ones, out of the hundreds of them. She floated them out of the room, through a gaping hole in the hull. 

Her breath burned in her throat, as she made the journey back to her spaceship. There was no time to cry. No time to scream at the unfeeling cosmos for this.

Back in the safety of the ship, she jerked her helmet off, trembling on the bench. Grief, like poison bubbled up in her gut. _Who, what creature could do this to children?_

Ailin was checking the life signals on the pods, while Fazzless scanned the wreck again. They wouldn’t leave until every single least one of the… the surviving children were saved.

Orion sat in the cockpit, drinking their water ration. Tear tracks were on their face, and silent sobs wracked their frame. Herrah watched their shoulders jerk up, with burning eyes.

“Fazzless, report!” her hoarse voice surprised even her. 

“No more signals captain. It seems we have all the survivors.” 

“Get us home then, I can’t stand this place any longer.”

The way back was somber. They all knew that this was a mission doomed to failure, the moment they received the garbled signal. Even then, Herrah knew that finding any survivors would be a miracle. She wasn’t prepared for the scale. 

Ailin made the decision to not bring the survivors out of hibernation just yet. All the pods had their own built-in power source, but still they might have failed. She pulled Herrah aside just before they started the journey back. Ailin pitched her voice low, as if she was sharing a secret.

“You know the risks of long-term hibernation, Herrah. Even if they survived the impact, and the trip, their organs might be so damaged that they don’t wake up. We might be carrying four corpses, and wasting energy on them.”

Herrah growled deep in her throat.

“I know the risks Ailin. I know them well, but I want to be able to look into the mirror and say I’ve done everything I could. Don’t you want to do the same?”

Ailin looked away, flushing in shame.

“I just wanted you to know. It might all be in vain.”

The journey back was one of the most nerve-wracking three days of Herrah’s life. She took on herself to sit with the survivors, reading the reports from the Nest out loud. Ailin left her to it, not wanting another confrontation with her captain.

When the vessel arrived at the Nest, the survivors were taken to the medbay immediately. Ailin and another doctor went with them. Herrah finalised the reports of the rescue mission, sending them off to Midwife. 

A message alert flashed on her datapad. 

“Don’t say anything to Pale. He ordered a quarantine hours after you left. Don’t let him on the ship. Something is wrong. MW.”

Herrah frowned, and deleted the message. It was strange. The King, as he liked to call himself, never gave orders to the outer circles. His focus was on the City and the Gardens, all the other stations have enjoyed sovereignty. It was odd, that just after a distress call from the unidentified station, he forbid anyone from leaving. 

If he started going to the wreck the moment the call was registered, it would still take him over two weeks to arrive, even with the fastest speeder in his fleet. No-one could survive two weeks of floating in space, especially hibernated kids.

Something told Herrah that Pale did not want any survivors to resurface from the station. 

Herrah sated up during the night cycle, listening to Hornet’s breathing. She could not sleep, jerking awake at every moment, when Hornet’s breathing grew quieter. Herrah stared at the top bunk, as if she could see through the steel and plastic and watch over her daughter.

The day cycle began, with the light gently getting brighter. Hornet stuck close to Herrah all day, and for once, Herrah didn’t send her off to class. She kept her close, reassuring herself that Hornet was safe. That her daughter was here, present and alive.

Midwife slipped Hornet a honey cake, sneaking it under the noses of the other officers. Herrah winked at them both, stifling her smile. 

They ate lunch at the canteen, sitting together with the crew. Herrah let the bustle and noise wash over her fears and anxieties. The rhythm of the Nest, so similar to a heartbeat, soothed her, even when nothing else could. 

Children, such a rare sight in space were abundant in the Nest. Young, idealistic trainees would flock to any crew openings, constantly renewing the laughter. 

The old crew was Herrah’s favourite. She sailed with them for years, and she could read all of them like an open book. There was never enough space for secrets in Herrah’s vessel, not in the past, and not now.

The Nest was her home. It was her family. She built it with her own two hands, and she built it to last. 

“Herrah,” Midwife touched her hand, jerking her out of her thoughts “ You seem very quiet. Is there something you want to tell me?” 

Herrah sighed deeply, squeezing Midwife’s hand. She just shook her head, words refusing to come out.

Things won’t improve by talking about them, but waiting for news was wearing on her.

* * *

The medbay was still and quiet. After the arrival of the survivors, all hands were on deck, preparing for their awakening. After working tirelessly overnight, two of them were dead. Ailin transferred the bodies, brittle and thin. 

They were all similar enough that she recognised them as members of the same species, but their differences were striking. There was no variation like this in nature.

Could they have been artificially created? There certainly was enough of failures back in the wreckage to give support to that theory.

Ailin turned to the smaller of the remaining two. They lied prone on the examination table, their chest rising slowly. They all had a nondescript suit on, thin and white, with a two letter - two number code.

She lifted the smaller one’s arm to administer fluids. Their skin was covered in small, translucent scales, covering the pitch black skin underneath. They were almost iridescent in the bright light of the examination room. The scales were removed from the crook of their elbow, giving Ailin a pause. 

Why would then need to have these scales removed? Who would have a need to access their veins? Why didn’t they grow back?

After inserting the IV, she took a step back to observe the creature.

They had two horns arching from their head, almost too big for their size. They were incredibly light, barely weighing above forty pounds. They had a pair of delicate wings, damaged from the ice, and a strong tail. Ailin supposed they could fly if necessary. Their musculature, however, shoved extensive wasting, possibly by the amount of time they spent in the pod.

Ailin looked into their mouth as well, noting the rows and rows of sharp teeth. How curious. Ailin wrote everything down, keeping meticulous notes. These seemed to be specimens of a completely new race of space faring aliens, and her curiosity was driving her to keep poking at the creatures. 

She turned to the last one, an impressive example of the new species. They were much bigger than the other one, with a skeletal frame that implied unprecedented strength. They had the same bare patch at the elbow, but one of their arms was missing. Their tail also showed an old injury, possibly a break that never healed quite right. 

She gave them all the fluids and nutrients needed to facilitate them arising from the long hibernation, and turned to clean the room.

The smaller creature was standing on all fours, glaring at her. She took a step back, prompting them to snarl, showing her all their teeth, unsettlingly silent. 

Ailin reached for her tranquilizer gun, and the creature pounced. They bowled her over, sinking their teeth into her forearm. Her head hit the leg on the bed where the other creature was resting, and her vision swam.

They scrambled, their sharp claws catching on her clothes and tearing it. Ailin kept screaming, almost deafening herself. A crewmember burst in, and pulled the alien off of her. 

She was pulled out of the room by the haggard looking crewman, shutting the door just in time. They could hear the creature prowling behind it, with occasional bangs when they slammed against the closed door.

“What the fuck was that?” the crewman asked, pale as sheet.

“One of the survivors. Someone tell Herrah that she picked up a pair of monsters instead of civilised creatures.” Ainin mumbled, cradling her arm. The alien took a chunk out of it, and it seemed to be broken as well. Her head was killing her, and she cursed.

What a rookie mistake that was. She never before turned her back on unknown patintents, but this time, her curiosity got the better of her. How unfortunate. 

The alien walking freely prevented anyone from entering the room. They needed medical attention, that was evident, but anything they tried to calm them down proved futile. 

Midwife’s pager trilled, and she jumped to attention. As a field medic, she didn’t get too many calls, especially as the head navigator of the Nest. She arrived to a small crowd worriedly murmuring at one of the emergency medbays.

“What’s happening?” One of the doctors, still clutching their arm, turned to answer.

“One of the crash survivors woke early. They attacked Ailin, and bit her severely. I tried to enter, to calm them, but they slammed the door closed on my arm.”

“Is there anyone in there?”

“No, we are currently waiting for the knockout gas to take effect.” Midwife took a harsh breath, angry at the reckless actions of the doctor. “ We can’t enter without them attacking us, and we have to get them out of the way.”

“ There is always another way.” She growled “tranquilising children should never be your first choice. Vent the room, and get me a uniform. I’ll clean up your mess.”

A young paediatric nurse jumped to get her a fresh uniform. Midwife pulled it straight over her command spacesuit, not wasting any time. The uniform was teal, with yellow ducks covering the fabric. 

“Get away from the door.” she dismissed the crowd, and glared at the stragglers until only the nurse remained. 

“I’ll watch your back” she muttered nervously. “I’ll call for help if you need it.”

“Inform the captain of my position, and arrange shifts for you to swap with. This might take a while.”

Midwife nodded, and glanced into the room. The small creature was hiding under the examination table. They saw her looking, and they snarled, flashing her all their sharp teeth.

Midwife avoided their eyes, taking in their condition. They seemed to cradle one of their shoulders, hurt from slamming into the door for hours. They looked too thin, even the space suit was hanging on their frame.

She waited, with her hand on the door lock, until the alien looked away. She opened the door, and stepped in, closing it swiftly behind her.

That made the creature skitter away, back toward the end of the room. Midwife raised her arms up, her palms open, to show that she was not a threat. She slowly lowered herself to a sitting position.

The creature curled up in the corner, keeping a wary eye on her. No-one moved in the room.

The low humming of the electrics filled the silence. Midwife could see the rapid rising and falling of the creature’s chest, their eyes watching her too. 

Time passed. Midwife was grateful for the patience the universe had gifted her. They whiled away the hours, and the day cycle slowly came towards its end. The light dimmed, stretching the shadows in the room.

Night descended, and the Nest turned silent.

Midwife, tired beyond measure leant against the door, stretching her legs out. She couldn't really see in the dark, and the emergency lighting was off. They always made sure to keep the medbays isolated from noise or disturbance, and the stillness started to wear her down a bit.

A small noise alerted her that the alien was moving. She tensed, involuntarily, when a dry nose touched her arm. The creature’s breath ghosted across her skin, and she tensed. Claws scratched across the floor as they shifted next to her. 

She turned her head, and saw their eyes, shining with a strange light, startlingly close. She held her breath as they investigated her. They carefully touched one of her bigger scars, the one running up from her elbow to her armpit. 

The alien ran their finger along it, keeping a close eye on her. She couldn’t look away from the little creature.

Midwife swallowed, and quietly, started to whisper.

“Are you curious about it?” The alien froze, but they didn’t attack nor fled, so she continued “It’s not as much of a great story as you think it is. I was young and foolish, and Herrah, well, Herrah was too keen to rush into plans that would profit us. We raided a merchant vessel, but it was booby trapped. “ Midwife gave a little chuckle. 

“Stars, we were so young. We boarded the ship with no backup, and no plan B. The ship was filled to the brim with explosives, and I tripped the trigger. Herrah was in the cockpit, she got blown out straight through the observation deck, but I was thrown with the debris. One of the metal chucks almost sheared my arm off, and my suit was leaking oxygen everywhere.”

She risked a glance at the alien, who had settled next to her. They were still watching, watching with unblinking eyes, so she continued.

“Herrah saved me. She has always had a cool head in crisis, but this time she truly overdid herself. She managed to save me, and patch me up, she even got my arm saved. We never did business again with that backstabbing fool.” 

She shook her head, still thinking about the memory.

“We even lost one of our spaceships. It took us years to get it tuned up, and then we lost it like a pair of rookies we were.”

She kept talking, telling the alien half-remembered stories, fairytales until her voice cracked, and her throat dried. When she stopped, more than halfway through the night cycle, the creature was still sitting next to her. They barely touched her side, radiating warmth. She relaxed, tired beyond measure. She carefully laid her palm against their back, and they froze.

Midwife only had a split second to worry when the alien scrambled away. They launched themselves across her, colliding with her chest. They dug their snout into the side of her neck, and she froze.

A warm drop of water hit her skin, the little creature trembling in front of her. She pulled them closer, shushing the kid, patting their back, while they fell apart in her embrace.

Eventually, they cried themselves to sleep. Midwife, tired to her bones, stayed slumped against the door. 

A new day cycle alerted her again. The little one, still passed out in her arms barely stirred. 

“Hey, wake up, little one. We need to move.” They grumbled, barely opening their eyes, as Midwife shifted. “Come on, I’ll show you something more comfortable.”

As the hour was still ridiculously early, there were very few crew milling about. Midwife strode towards her cabin, with the child in her arms. They were watching the people, curious and cautious, but they didn’t struggle.

Midwife’s cabin was a small, tight space. She darkened the light, blanketing them in darkness. She lowered the creature down onto her bed, but they refused to release her. She laid next to them in the narrow bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Breakfast was a strange affair. Midwife sat with Herrah and Hornet, as usual, but this time, she kept the kid close to her.

Hornet kept soothing them curious glances, but they avoided her gaze. They sniffed at every bit of food they had on their tray, but they only touched the bit of the bland nutrient paste that was supplied to every meal.

They ate the paste alarmingly quickly. Midwife took pity on them, and gave her share too. Hibernation takes a lot out of anyone, and Midwife was familiar with the twisting hunger they must feel. They looked around, still avoiding everyone’s eyes, alert and still cautious. They watched Herrah and they watched Hornet. 

They kept poking at the food, occasionally taking a bite. Midwife kept half an eye on them, seeing their confusion and curiosity. Have they not seen any food before? They seemed unfamiliar with everything on their plate.

“Mother, what are they?” Hornet asked, still boring her eyes into them. “What’s their name? Do they have any family?” They sunk down deeper into their seat, as if they wanted to disappear under the table.

“I don’t know, Hornet” Herrah replied, her voice more tired than usual “They seem to be new to us.” She laid a palm against Hornet’s shoulder, playfully shaking her “But it’s rude to stare, and you know that. Eat. You have classes to attend to.”

Midwife noted, with a bit of apprehension, that Herrah seemed exhausted. After her return from the rescue mission, she was unusually quiet. Midwife chalked it up to being shaken, after all seeing a station wreck was never easy on anyone. But whatever was eating at Herrah, she didn’t share it with her. 

Even Hornet seemed a little worried about her mother, shooting glances at her. Midwife leaned back, stretching her legs out. She gently tapped Herrah’s ankle under the table, but she pulled away. Odd.

“Herrah, I….” 

The creature next to her jerked, and coughed. They grabbed their throat, jumping up from the table. Their chair was kicked back, and they collapsed on the ground. 

Midwife acted on instinct. She dropped down, kneeled behind them, and made them sit up. She gave a blow to the middle of their back.

A big piece of unchewed apple flew from their mouth. 

Midwife slumped on her heels, with the alien wriggling in her lap. They were still heaving, gasping for breath, but this time it was tears. They curled up against her, and she rubbed their back, surveying the damage on the breakfast table. 

They seemed to have chewed on almost everything while she was distracted. No wonder they choked on a bite, most of their food was gone. They even chewed on their tray, bite marks marring the plastic.

Herrah was keeping the curious crewmembers away, shooing everybody out of the canteen. Midwife gave silent thanks for their late breakfast, as there was less than the usual crowd. Less people to stand around and gawk at the newcomer.

Hornet hovered uncertainly, a glass of water in her hands. She kneeled, to get to eye level with the alien, and offered the glass. They looked, warily, not moving an inch.

“Hello, there little one.” Hornet said, her voice soft “ You gave us quite a scare. Were you afraid too, huh?” Hornet shifted, taking a more comfortable position. “What is your name anyway? I can’t keep calling you ‘the little one’ forever, you know. I bet you had a good name too, didn’t you?” At this, they shifted, showing off their name badge. GH-09. 

“GH? That’s not a name, that’s… Well, that’s not a name to call you. How about Ghost, huh?” They met her gaze, considering the name. They nodded, slowly and deliberately, keeping their eyes on Hornet. 

“Little Ghost it is!” Hornet said, shifting away. Ghost, feeling a lot more settled, untangled themselves from Midwife.

* * *

They were all of them, and only themselves before. There was only one, great creature, the consumer of the world. That was before.

“No mind to think” was the first thing they ever heard. The Pale one said to them. He said it to all, each of them sealed in their own artificial cocoon, enveloped in warmth. They were lonely then. Separate.

“No voice to cry suffering” was uttered to the first ones that slipped from their cocoons. He was deaf to their voices, unfeeling to their anguish. They heard them, as they disappeared into the air they were created from, and their heart broke for their siblings. They weren’t meant to take form. They were meant to be only one.

“No will to break” That. _Hurt._

* * *

They were GH-09, they were _Ghost,_ and they were free. They were learning so, so much about the world, it made their head ache with the thoughts. 

Food was plentiful and tasty. They could soothe the empty grumble in their stomach better than ever before, and they were allowed to eat anything they wanted. Fresh and crunchy, or baked and salty, or even smooth and sweet, there was no limit in what they could ask for. They gorged themselves every time Midwife took them to the canteen, happy for the plentiful choices.

The air was warm in there, smelled a little metallic at times. It was pleasant, providing so much information about the rhythm of life on the station.

Breakfast would arrive with a myriad of smells, ranging from the bitter dark drink that Midwife would have, to the burnt smell from the seared meats usually for the midday meal. 

Their favourite was the slightly sweet, warm drink given at the night meal, _milk_ , Midwife said the first time she saw them sniff the mug.

All the options were exciting, new and fun. Eating became a ritual to them, the routine sneaking up. There were so many crewmembers too, they never saw so many in one place before. The curious glances slowly stopped, the crew accepting the newcomer easily.

The crew was welcoming, the people friendly and open towards them. They would listen into the chatter whenever they could. The voices would sometimes blur together, but then Midwife or Hornet would be there to take them someplace quiet.

They were the happiest they have ever been.

Some small part of them was terrified that it would get taken away. They didn’t want to return to the ship they came from, they didn’t want to stare at the bright white walls for hours again. 

They didn’t want to eat anything but the plain nutrient paste, and they didn’t want to be poked and prodded for hours again.

They wanted to stay, and they were ready to tear the world apart to do so.

* * *

Herrah stared at the starchart, the readings of the RED-12 steady as usual. The dwarf star gave steady radiation, the same as always, just enough to run the Nest efficiently. All functions were normal, maybe the Medbay using a little more energy than usual, but they had that covered.

Her thoughts circled back to the survivor lying prone in the Medbay. Ailin kept checking on them, but their condition remained unchanged for the past week. They breathed on their own, and other than the fluid replacements, they had no need of medical intervention.

Ailin showed her their status report, and it was worrying, to say the least. It seemed that immediately before being placed into hibernation, they suffered a traumatic injury. The hibernation pod did its best to repair them, but some of the damage remained. It was doubtful they would ever wake up, and Herrah had to make the decision when to give up on them.

The thought made her stomach turn into ice. She couldn’t justify the energy expense, but imagining giving up on anyone still stubbornly clinging to life turned her stomach. No, best not to think about it just now.

If they ever wake up, they would need to go through extensive physical and emotional therapy. She let Ghost run amok on the ship for now, but Midwife and Ailin kept pushing for them to open up. They seemed fine on the surface, but Herrah had noticed their hesitation and unfamiliarity with the food, how crowds overwhelmed them quickly, and how frightened they became of every doctor or engineer wearing a white uniform. 

She shook her head, letting those worries fade away a little. The Pale King was nearby, and Herrah needed to keep her wits about herself. The bastard would come sniffing for Hornet, just as he always did, and she needed to keep her daughter out of his reach.

Herrah shifted to another report from the engineers. All normal, as expected. She worked through the tedium of paperwork, cursing the day she decided to run the colony. Who would have thought it would take so much mind numbing number crunching? The Nest was streamlined and efficient, and yet, still she had to sit for hours every day double checking everything. She liked knowing every minute detail, it gave her a feeling of control. She used to run her own ship with Midwife for years, and, sometimes, she missed it.

She looked out to the launchpad, where her jumper ship was hiding under a giant tarp. She missed the intimate privacy, the feeling of closeness the small ship gave her and Midwife. She missed that closeness sometimes, she missed going to sleep with her breath on her face, and she missed waking up to it too.

She could barely even admit to herself, but she missed Midwife, even when she was an arm’s length away. 

The door to the command deck opened, and Ghost dashed in, through the smallest gap. They circled Herrah’s chair, ducking under the navigation desk, and popping up on the other side, with a grin so wide, it scrunched their eyes up into sicles.

“Ghost!” Midwife chided “ I told you to not run around here.” Ghost nodded, and signed a quick ‘Sorry’ before circling back to her.

“Hey there” Herrah greeted them, unable to quell the amusement at the child’s antics. Hornet was too serious for such mischief, even when she was little, and Herrah had to admit it was refreshing to see a child run amok. 

“Hi mother! We brought you lunch!” 

* * *

They awaken is fits and starts. At first the harsh lighting of the medbay filters through their eyelids, their head nothing more than a stabbing mess of pain and flashing thoughts.

The next time they are a little more aware, knowing that they are lying on a bed, the thin mattress giving them a semblance of comfort.

**Author's Note:**

> Another unfinished fic.... I started to rewrite it, but I don't currently have time to work on it, so you get the raw first draft. You're welcome. Fazzless is Skye's OC, and I thank nir for letting me borrow them!


End file.
